FLINT, MI -- From the shimmering lights on the ceiling twinkling as stars in constellation formations to the familiar John Eberson architecture throughout the venue, the Capitol Theatre will open this week for the first time in almost 20 years.

The historic downtown site underwent a $37 million restoration to bring the 90-year-old facility in Flint back to working order and was shown off through an opening ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 7.

"It's going to reintroduce Flint to a whole new generation of people who haven't thought of [the city] in a positive light in a long time," said Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, anticipating that the theater will attract thousands of visitors to Flint each year. "What was old has turned into something new and exciting."

The Whiting and Uptown Reinvestment Corp. announced in 2015 they partner to work on the 1,600-seat theater. The Whiting will manage operations at the Capitol.

Jarret Haynes, executive director at The Whiting, said the facility has more modernized and state of the art lighting and technology abilities, though area residents will still be able to connect to the history of the facility, allowing people to reminisce through familiar structural identifiers.

He said the geometry of the main room, the size of the stage and the general layouts of the seats are all the same but enhanced. A similar, but more vibrant, color palate can be seen through different areas of the space.

"There should be just enough restoration aspects so that as people come in, there will be visual cues that will evoke their memories from the theatre prior -- whether that be a first date, their first show with their grandchildren or a movie they saw from the balcony," he said. "And they should also be able to look around and say, 'Wow, that's modern.'

"That's true for people who saw movies or vaudeville here. It's true for those who saw some of the rock shows here in the '70s or '80s. It's also true for those who have only been in town for the last 10 years, and whose only association with the venue is that it was shuttered, with a hope to see it come back to life. Everybody in this community has a connection to the Capitol."

Built in Italian Renaissance style, one ceiling was designed after the outer vestibule of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and interior walls recreate views of buildings that evoke old Italy.

The renovation plans also include 25,000 square feet of attached office and retail space.

Uptown Reinvestment Corp. will partner with The Whiting and its governing body, the Flint Cultural Center Corp. to relaunch the Capitol Theatre. Both non-profits, Uptown will handle the redevelopment and restoration, while The Whiting will manage operations, programming and marketing.

Haynes said it's not an exaggeration to say the structure, which is strategically placed in the heart of the city, can be a beacon to the city and its residents' hearts.

"There has always been one constant in 90 years -- members of the Flint community sitting in these seats and engaging with the performers on stage. We want that to recur as much as we want performers on the stage, as much as the celebration of this restoration," Haynes said. "We do this for the community. It happened for 90 years already, and we want to see it continue fruitfully for the next 90 years."

"A Classy Brassy Christmas and More" will take place on Friday, Dec. 8. There will be free admission to the holiday concert at the Capitol.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and features the Flint Symphony Orchestra's Brass and Byrd Consort. You must call The Whiting's Box Office to get tickets.